Simulcast radio communication systems are typically employed to provide wide area one-way or two-way radio communication services. In such a system, a source site typically originates (or forwards from another originating site) a signal to be generally broadcast. This signal is routed from the source site to a plurality of remote sites. Each remote site then simultaneously broadcasts the signal in coordination with other remote sites to facilitate reception of the signal by receivers within the area covered by the system.
In this way, a receiver outside the operating range of one remote site may still be within the range of one or more other remote sites, thereby reasonably ensuring that the receiver can receive the signal.
One particularly difficult problem with such simulcast systems involves coordinating the various remote sites to ensure that the signals are in fact substantially simultaneously broadcast by each. A failure to accomplish this will result in instances of unacceptable reception coherence, usually as caused by carrier frequency differences between the remote sites, deviation control differences, phase differentials with respect to the modulation signal itself, and the like.
Various efforts to resolve one or more of these problems have been set forth in the prior art. Depending upon the particular application, however, such prior art solutions may not be adequate. A need accordingly exists for a simulcast system that will provide for the substantially simultaneous broadcast of a frequency equalized signal from a plurality of remote sites.